Today we are happy to share an interview with Maria Vittoria Brustia, President of Assomac, the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, LeatherGoods and Tanning Technologies. Assomac is the organizer of the Simac Tanning Tech trade fair   

Following the slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, most fashion brands and retailers equalled or even exceeded their pre-pandemic performances. But 2022 will hardly be a forgettable year: the world’s inflation hit levels not seen since the early 80s, leading to a sharp hike in interest rates, Russia’s ceased to be a viable market for Western brands after its invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February, and China’s economy slowed down due to the country’s zero COVID-19 policy. And yet, despite the worst projections, for the better part of the year, the fashion industry prevailed. Nevertheless, as we enter 2023 with a global recession still on the table, it is worth looking into the year-to-date results of some of the largest companies worldwide to understand the current situation   

2022 was a good year for the Colombian footwear industry, says ACICAM. But rising costs and, especially, the labour shortage might slow down production in 2023   

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), UK retail sales will grow between 2.3% to 3.5% in 2023, with the pace somewhat picking up in the second half of the year   

The Portuguese sole manufacturer has obtained the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certification for its soles and renewed the GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification for several of its products